Do You Know Bo?
The Southeastern chapter of the Institute for Architecture and Art (ICAA SE) visited Wyatt Childs, Inc. in October to meet Wyatt “Bo” Childs, learn about his work and tour his facility/collections.
Wyatt Childs, Inc. is three miles west of the exit for Barnesville, GA off Interstate 75. It’s between Macon and Atlanta… closer to Macon. Bo’s family has been on the property for about 200 years.
The business sits on about three acres of the thousand acres in the Childs family. Wyatt Childs, Inc. describes itself as, “A special haven for products that have been rediscovered, reclaimed, remade or rescued from around the world.”.
Bo Childs traveled to the UK and Europe monthly on buying trips though the coronavirus pandemic put a stop to that. He’s ready to travel again… as are so many of us. It was kind of him to entertain a small group.
The following is a short photo essay to help you meet Bo and understand the work of Wyatt Childs, Inc.
Image Above: Wyatt Childs, Inc. is a series of yards and buildings. The main yard (shown here) is surrounded by buildings and you’ll find these crates at the front of the yard. They contain half and whole cobble stones from New England. While they were used for paving, their first use was as ballast in ships coming from the old world.
Image Above: You’ll find what appears to be a house on the left-hand side of the yard. It’s the office for the operation and it contains a collection of antiques for sale. Bo’s parents and grandparents were antique dealers. Bo continues that trade.
He applies his knowledge of old things to collecting materials and crafting those materials into new things that will endure. The bricks in the foreground are antique bricks. The palettes on the right are slabs of sandstone.
Image Above: Some of the things in the yard are ancient. This is the oldest washing machine you’ll ever see. The spout in the front allows the collection of reuse of soap draining from the washboard.
Image Above: The mill stones in the foreground are popular features in gardens, especially in fountains and walls.
Image Above: The main yard is about an acre between the various buildings. Materials in the yard are meant to be exposed to the weather. They’re stones, bricks, tiles and other things that should have a weathered appearance.
Image Above: This is the shop that sits across the yard from the office. Bo has a substantial collection of large machines that allow him to handle very large pieces and fabrication projects.
Image Above: Bo shows one of a series of chairs built for a client. All of the metal work was done in his shop. The upholstery (not shown) is white. The seat comes in the single-seat format shown here or a sofa format for sale in the office.
Clients often bring items to Bo for reproduction. You might have one piece though you need more. Bo may be able to match the piece and produce a series of them for you.
Image Above: While there are many woodworking enthusiasts, not all have the tools and facilities to handle large pieces. The pair of forklifts in the background help the staff move heavy projects and the woodworking equipment allows them to work on very large single pieces like the slabs of wood with live edges in the foreground.
Image Above: The large silver building at the back of the main yard is used to house wood. Some of it is for projects and some of it has yet to find its purpose.
Image Above: Opposite the door to the storage building shown above is this shed extension. It houses a piece of equipment for cutting large pieces of wood.
You can unload a large piece, like a tree trunk, with a forklift or skid steer. You can drive the piece right into the shed and place it to be cut.
Image Above: The large orange tool pictured here is a Wood-Mizer LT70. It’s a saw mill. It can handle pieces of wood up to three feet in diameter and twenty feet long. You can find videos of the saw’s operation online.
You can place a piece of wood, such as a large tree trunk or limb, onto the platform. The cutting head at the far end has a blade like a horizontal band saw that moves along the wood to make whatever cuts are needed to form planks, beams, etc.
Image Above: There are four kilns behind the building used for wood storage. Wood is placed in these and heated to reduce the moisture in the wood.
Image Above: There’s a large carpentry shop building at the back of the complex. These handsome, solid-wood cabinets are an example of the work on the shop floor.
Image Above: There’s a beam yard behind the carpentry shop. These beams weather though they are carefully placed to allow water to drain so the wood doesn’t rot.
Image Above: This is the back left corner of the yards. There are many different tiles. Most of them are in quantities large enough to match other tiles in renovation/addition/repair work or be used for small new projects.
An example of using them in a new project might be using these tiles on the roof of a porch where visitors are close enough to notice and appreciate the antique tiles. The higher roof elements could be clad with newer products that compliment the antique tiles though visitors can’t get close enough to the higher roof elements to tell the difference.
Image Above: There are many interesting antiques and things in the building that houses the office. Like everything else on the property, each probably has it’s own interesting story and Bo can share it with you.
Thanks!
Thanks to Bo Childs, Madison Hamilton and Mary Hardin at Wyatt Childs, Inc for hosting the group. You can find more information on their website: http://www.wyattchildsinc.com/
Thanks to Lynn Amoroso at ICAA SE for organizing the event. You can find more information on the ICAA SE website: https://classicist-se.org/
We shared the ICAA event as a meet-up opportunity on our events page. We hope to see you soon at a live event or meet up. You can find our interaction with our community on our events page: https://www.ryantaylorarchitects.com/events/
Please note the invitation to join our learning community on our events page. We hope you’ll join us and share your insight!
And Finally…
Please use the comments section below to celebrate any folks you’re using to reduce, reuse, repurpose or recycle materials. We’d like to recognize their good work and encourage others to use them too!
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